Daily Archives: January 21, 2011

The speculated Rome Grand Prix has officially been ditched by the city, who now claim that they will be concentrating on hosting the Olympics instead.

From the end of 2009 onwards, it became apparent that Bernie Ecclestone was in negotiations to bring Formula 1 to the Italian city. However, in recent weeks, he has been making remarks that there is not space for two races in the same country.

A long-term contract until 2016 for Monza was another hint, until the mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, finally admitted defeat:

"We formally and definitely give up on the hypothesis of a Formula 1 Grand
Prix in Rome. This move represents a step backwards because we have always
said we would have done so, should the FIA have posed an alternative between
Rome and Monza.
However, we have an Olympic dream that is still going on: so let's make
clear to Italy and to the world that we want to stage the games in Rome."

With Bernie saying that only one race is allowed per country, surely this also spells concerns for one of the two Spanish races as well?